Dementia and depression are common psychiatric disorders. They frequently occur together in the same patient.
While there are many drugs which treat depression, not all patients respond. Moreover, most of these drugs have important side effects which limit their usefulness. There is therefore a need for new, safe treatments for depression.
Dementia can be caused by a variety of underlying disorders, the most important being Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, and infections with certain viruses or virus-like agents. The cause of Alzheimer's disease is unknown but there is loss of nerve cells in key areas of the brain. In multi-infarct dementia, cell death follows reduced oxygen and blood flow as a consequence of multiple blockages of small arteries. There are no known satisfactory treatments for dementia of any type.